Little Man

[Waterman]

Curious...this effect had an add campaign that was impressive. Anyone performing this or know of anyone who is? My limited research showed mostly disappointed opinions , but there are always two sides to everything put out to the magic community.

[Richard Kaufman]

I got one and liked it quite a bit. The method is pretty Rube Goldberg, but it works with a little practice (like everything else). I think most people who bought one never bothered to try it on laymen.

[PickaCard]

I love mine. It's a very offbeat effect and it's hard to believe they actually made such a gimmick(s). But like Richard guessed, I have not brought this up to performance standard. However this can be said about most of the magic that I buy to play with. Only a few are really convenient for the casual performance environment I get to perform in.

[Chris Aguilar]

I wouldn't be surprised if the unimpressive demo video and high price didn't kill a lot of interest for this product.

[Richard Kaufman]

Chris, I think if you saw what was involved in the mechanism, and how much money Paul sunk into the long development period, the retail price would be understandable. (That's completely aside from whether the retail price is appealing or not.)

[Chris Aguilar]

Chris, I think if you saw what was involved in the mechanism, and how much money Paul sunk into the long development period, the retail price would be understandable. (That's completely aside from whether the retail price is appealing or not.)

Yeah, I can see the appeal for collectors of expensive collectables. For the more impecunious amongst us (ahem, myself) it's harder to justify this sort of purchase. Sort of reminds me of Tenyo, but there you get the cleverness at a much more affordable price. And even though I have no interest in using Tenyo stuff, I do know that many do and in a practical way.

Lacking such practicality, I'm glad that "little man" is clever enough to please even those who probably won't ever use it.

[PickaCard]

I am not a collector of magic in general, and did not buy it for speculation, however I have a feeling once this is sold out it will one day become a highly prized Paul Harris creation. I doubt we will see another such elaborate mechanism from him.

[Richard Kaufman]

Little Man is the antithesis of a Tenyo product. The problem with it is that the mechanics are sort of involved and seem difficult to organize easily so you know it will work perfectly. That's the opposite of a Tenyo product, which is designed to be as simple as possible and uninvolved.

[Chris Aguilar]

Little Man is the antithesis of a Tenyo product. The problem with it is that the mechanics are sort of involved and seem difficult to organize easily so you know it will work perfectly. That's the opposite of a Tenyo product, which is designed to be as simple as possible and uninvolved.

So if they had taken some inspiration from Tenyo, perhaps they could have offered a better (simpler, more practical) product at a lower price. I can see that.

Is PH still slapping his name on a lot of ... well... let's say not exactly classic material these days? I'm a fan of the man and his magic, but just find that sort of thing somewhat disappointing.

[Richard Kaufman]

Paul does not have the power of a large company like Tenyo at his disposal, which can afford to make molds ($20,000 each) for plastic injection molding. Tenyo also doesn't create things with motors--too expensive and too much room for problems.

[Chris Aguilar]

Paul does not have the power of a large company like Tenyo at his disposal, which can afford to make molds ($20,000 each) for plastic injection molding. Tenyo also doesn't create things with motors--too expensive and too much room for problems.

Well, sure, but it's still disappointing to see his name on material of such limited practicality and magical effect.

Is there any video demo of this product where the movement of the "Little Man" isn't so lacking?

Then a moment later...unbelievably... Little Man takes his first step!

YES, HE'S MOVING FORWARD AND ACTUALLY WALKING... ONE ASTONISHING STEP AT A TIME!

This is where you have to see the on-line demo to experience the devastating wonderfulness of it all.

His entire clay body VISIBLY TURNS AND LURCHES FORWARD with each dramatic step.

[PickaCard]

C'mon Chris. A little Playdo guy you make in front of people (with their help if you want) moves and performs a magic trick. How awesome is that? Maybe you would prefer another card trick? Well you are in luck. Paul has some great ones too. I think the the Paul Harris Presents line has some great tricks that are visual and often have a really cool gimmick.

[Chris Aguilar]

Even with all the video editing they can't seem to mask the stuttering mechanical nature of it.

Admittedly, I'm not that interested in cool gaffs/gimmicks, though I do understand how that could appeal to some. And while not everything Paul releases is marginal, his batting average seems much diminished these days.

[Richard Kaufman]

It shuffles forward, kind of waddling from side to side. "Stuttering" is the wrong way to describe it.

[Matthew Field]

Smooth motion would have been easier. The "walking" motion was, to me, one of the most clever things in the method.

Matt Field

[Chris Aguilar]

It shuffles forward, kind of waddling from side to side. "Stuttering" is the wrong way to describe it.

I was attempting to be kind with "stuttering" and probably should have just left the demo clips (and the following ad copy claims) to speak for themselves.

Then a moment later...unbelievably... Little Man takes his first step!

YES, HE'S MOVING FORWARD AND ACTUALLY WALKING... ONE ASTONISHING STEP AT A TIME!

This is where you have to see the on-line demo to experience the devastating wonderfulness of it all.

His entire clay body VISIBLY TURNS AND LURCHES FORWARD with each dramatic step.

[Ted M]

Wasn't the main problem that Little Man was announced and described long before there was a demo video?

People were then free to fantasize an amazing performance in their heads unconstrained by material reality, and of course those imagined performances were far more magical than the demo video/real thing could ever be, leading to disappointment.

I suspect that if the Little Man demo video had simply been released without any advance buildup, some would've dismissed it while others would've been intrigued and bought it -- but either way, there wouldn't have been the emotional backlash from its failure to live up to people's emotional investment in the Little Man of their private dreams.

[Chris Aguilar]

I suspect that if the Little Man demo video had simply been released without any advance buildup, some would've dismissed it while others would've been intrigued and bought it -- but either way, there wouldn't have been the emotional backlash from its failure to live up to people's emotional investment in the Little Man of their private dreams.

Even so (and previous hype aside) the stark contrast between the current official ad text (which extols the virtues of the video demos) versus the reality of said demos seems (emotions notwithstanding) fairly large.

[Brad Henderson]

anyone who saw del Rey's "little willy" knows that an inanimate object scooting across a table can be incredibly magical.

of course, a lot more goes into making it magical than just the ability to make it scoot deceptively.

I agree with those who suggest the ad copy poisoned the product by allowing unrealistic fantasies as to what the product would actually do/look like.

That and none of the people involved knew of del and his work (as evidenced by posts made Janet on the cafe when attention was called to Del's work), nor do any have the real world performing experience one would require in order to transform mere mechanical movement in the illusion of sentient life.

too much method. not enough magic.

[Richard Kaufman]

When you didn't know about Del's table, Little Willie was great. But go back and watch it now. The little mouse moves with a herky-jerky motion, much like Little Man. Not smooth at all. Little Willie's personality, which covered a multitude of sins, all came from Del's presentation and patter.

[Chris Aguilar]

I look forward to seeing some "Future Del Ray" taking "Little Man" and creating a masterpiece out of it.

[Richard Kaufman]

Can we safely say that there will never be a "future" Del Ray? I've never seen, before or since, anyone with that presentational ability do those sorts of tricks.

[Chris Aguilar]

Can we safely say that there will never be a "future" Del Ray? I've never seen, before or since, anyone with that presentational ability do those sorts of tricks.

Ok, I'll go with this...

I look forward to seeing some talented person taking "Little Man" and creating a masterpiece (or heck, even just a really good presentation) out of it.

[Leonard Hevia]

The last I heard Little Man was subjected to a humiliating search by the TSA at some undisclosed airport. Possibly caught with too much cash in his carry on.

His waddle is due to the punishing hits he endured from a previous career as a kick returner for the Electric Football League:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFXnJc0Q0U

[Brad Henderson]

I knew about tables like that before I saw del the first time. I was young, I just knew about bill Dodson and his work.

didn't matter. not once. not once in the whole show did it ever dawn on me that del was using a table like that to accomplish those miracles. and bill Dodson was sitting right in front of me.

del created real magic.

[Brad Henderson]

RK. in case I was unclear, my comment compared the motion of willie to the little man. neither are smooth movers. but a smart, informed magician could have learned from del and created a better performance piece by studying what he did and how he did it (structurally, presentationally, not necessarily methodologically).

little man was not a finished thought. someone should have performed it for a few years before selling it on the market. but magic for magicians IS the marketplace. different set of values. clever and fast better than practiced and nuanced.

[Chris Aguilar]

Clay based entertainers of the world unite!

[Tom Pilling]

Looks like a blow up doll you once knew.

[Edward]

All the pre-market hype is what killed this project.